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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27922306">Throw it at Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollyinthewater/pseuds/mollyinthewater'>mollyinthewater</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Octopunk Advent 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Detroit Evolution - Fandom, Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Christmas Fluff, Gavin Reed Not Being an Asshole, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Octopunk Advent, Post-Octopunk Media's Detroit: Evolution Fan Film, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Soft Gavin Reed, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed, a little bit, gavin is a very good boyfriend, only somewhat mentioned though</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:20:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,079</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27922306</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollyinthewater/pseuds/mollyinthewater</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nines still remembers what it was like when he deviated, having been stuck in a blizzard with almost no way to get out. Snow isn't his favorite thing in the world, but Gavin's there to help him with that.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Octopunk Advent 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2039905</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Throw it at Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is for day six (snowballs) of the octopunk advent! hope you all enjoy &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nines found snow conflicting.</p><p>He knew it was beautiful, looking at it from a subjective standpoint or not. The way that small snowflakes fell from the sky, catching glimmers of light to reflect back and turn into small sparkles floating in the air. The way that the snow would pile up on the ground, becoming a white, glittery sheet, and would scatter upon rooftops and cars and trees, decorating both objects and people in little white dots that somehow added an attractive quality to whatever it was the frozen liquid had fell upon.</p><p>Nines found snow beautiful, but also scary.</p><p>It was irrational, he knew that, too. Especially since it wasn't like he always found the snow unnerving. Seeing it outside through a window or simply walking it through it on the way to work and such never bothered him. It was just another part of his surroundings, nothing to really be gawked at and certainly nothing to be afraid of.</p><p>But as the RK900 stood in the small park, his gray-blue eyes trailing the snowflakes swirling in the air, he couldn't shake off the feeling that his black turtleneck was being especially tight today and his new white, long coat for the cold weather feeling heavy and thick. An alert popped up saying that his thirium pump was beating 15% faster than its usual rate, but he pushed the notification aside, continuing to stare at the white flecks around him.</p><p>"Nines?" Gavin broke the silence between them, worried eyes focused on his frozen boyfriend. Nines heard his name being softly said, saw Gavin in the right side of his peripheral vision, wearing a dark green sweater that perfectly matched his eyes and a short, black coat the same color as Nines' pants and boots, along with a dark pair of jeans and a set of tan boots. The android absolutely adored the way Gavin looked in that outfit, finding him especially handsome today, but he made no effort to turn and look at him. "You good?"</p><p>Another thing Nines knew was why the snow bothered him sometimes. When he had deviated all those months ago—over a year had passed since then—he had found himself stuck inside his mind palace, stood in a blizzard as his A.I. told him how he had failed her. If it hadn't been for his predecessor informing him of an emergency exit he would have to use, he wasn't sure if he would have made it out of there. After that, he never allowed the Zen Garden to be cold ever again, remaining in an eternal spring, flowers always blooming but never withering.</p><p>"Yes, I–I'm fine," Nines quietly said, worried that if he tried to speak any louder his voice would have been a burst of static. He forced himself to look away from the snowflakes in front of him, looking down to his left and instead just staring at the thin layer of snow already covering the grass beneath him, and though he couldn't see Gavin's face, he knew the man wasn't convinced, his eyes most likely trained on his blinking LED.</p><p>Connor called it "an association with a traumatic event that causes memories and emotions to resurface." He had gone through the same thing as Nines when he deviated, being stuck in that blizzard on the day the androids were liberated. He told him that his first three months of deviancy were the hardest, experiencing nightmares and having a form of PTSD, but that Hank had been there to help him. Nines' struggles weren't as bad as the RK800's, especially since now most of his nightmares focused around what had happened with Ada. Apparently those problems never really went away, but it got easier over time. Somehow. Connor had Hank and now Nines had Gavin, but it was still difficult for him to be open most of the time.</p><p>"We can go inside if you want," Gavin told the taller man, having an idea of what was happening. "We don't have to be out here."</p><p>"No, it's—" Nines cut himself off, huffing as he turned to look at the detective. His dark brown eyebrows were drawn the slightest bit, his lips in a small frown and his eyes full of worry. There were speckles of snow scattered across his curly brown hair and Nines' chest warmed at the sight, a half-smile coming across his face. "It's alright, Gavin."</p><p>Gavin looked at Nines incredulously, softness overcoming his features as he reached out to Nines' hand, a silent question being asked if touch was alright at the moment. Nines felt himself immediately gravitating towards Gavin's calloused hand, grabbing it with his right, perfectly smooth one. Gavin laced their fingers together, some of the synthetic skin on Nines' hand peeling away at the contact, revealing his white, plastic surface.</p><p>"You know you can be honest with me about these things, right?" Gavin gently asked the android, looking up into his eyes. "I'm here for you, Nines, and there's nothing you can do to get rid of me," he told Nines, playfulness in his voice and a slight smirk replacing his frown, with his eyes still revealing his concern. Nines' tiny smile grew a little wider at that statement, his eyes half-lidded in adoration of the human in front of him.</p><p>Of course, Nines knew that he could talk to Gavin about this. God knows how many times Nines has said the same thing to Gavin whenever he was struggling with his past, being there to listen to his problems and comforting him the best he could. Their honest relationship was mutual, but Nines couldn't help but hesitate.</p><p>"Well, thank god for that," Nines joked, getting a small laugh out of Gavin. The android sighed, looking away from his boyfriend as his smile began to fall. "It's hard for me sometimes. When it comes to talking about this sort of thing."</p><p>"I know," Gavin tenderly reassured Nines, his right hand reaching over as he pulled up their intertwined hands, his free hand resting on the back of Nines' and encasing it with warmth. He moved the slightest bit closer to the RK900, their shoulders touching as he remained mute, silently giving Nines the option to either opt out of talking or to go right ahead and tell Gavin what was going through his mind.</p><p>And Nines greatly appreciated that, how Gavin was being so patient with him, but as saline solution began to gather in his eyes, there was something that suddenly came over Nines and compelled him to choose the latter of those options.</p><p>"It's just..." Nines choked out, his throat tightening as he forced himself to take a small breath. "It's the snow. Sometimes, it... it bothers me. It reminds of when... when I deviated."</p><p>"And you were stuck in that blizzard, right?" Gavin gingerly asked, aware of what Nines was referring to. The taller man was grateful that Gavin didn't mention his former handler, who the human had often referred to as a "bitch he wants to punch in the face." Nines always found statements like that endearing in a way.</p><p>"Yes," Nines quietly answered, nodding. His LED began to spin a sunshine yellow and Gavin acted without hesitation, slowly rubbing his thumb across the back of Nines' hand in order to help comfort him, which it actually did. His eyes flickered back and forth between Gavin and the snow on the ground. "I don't want to–to <em>run</em> from my fear, though. I don't want that."</p><p>"Then you won't," Gavin told him. "And I'll be here with you, every step of the way."</p><p>"As I what? Stand here?" Nines questioned, a sad smile on his face as he looked around the mostly empty park. "I know that this isn't me running, but it doesn't seem like I'm doing anything, either."</p><p>Gavin hummed in response, staring down at their linked hands. "Well, sometimes the best way to fight your fear is to confront it head on." He then let go of Nines' hand before bending down, gathering up some snow in his hands. Once he stood back up, he packed the snow into the shape of a ball, holding it in one hand and gesturing it towards Nines, who looked at the man in confusion.</p><p>"Here," Gavin said, "take this and throw it at me."</p><p>A beat passed before Nines let out a complexed, "What?"</p><p>"C'mon, you know what a snowball fight is, right?" Gavin asked, giving the android a charming smile. Nines looked away slightly, a far away look coming over his eyes as he researched the topic. Gavin squinted his eyes at the familiar expression on his partner's face. "Tell me you did not just look up what a snowball fight is."</p><p>"I did not just look up what a snowball fight is," Nines smugly said as he looked back at Gavin, getting a surprised laugh out of the human as he rolled his eyes at the response.</p><p>"Smartass," Gavin said under his breath, Nines chuckling before Gavin once again gestured the ball of snow towards him. "Look, if you wanna fight your fear, this is one way to do it."</p><p>"Gavin, I hardly think that me throwing something at you is going to make me feel better," Nines dismissed the offer, but Gavin continued to hold out the snowball.</p><p>"Just... think of all times I've annoyed you," Gavin came up with, shrugging, "and you wanted to punch me in the face."</p><p>"Gavin..." Nines said the detective's name, giving him an unsure half-smile. It sounded like something that could lift his spirits, but at the same time a part of Nines was worried that it wouldn't work, the same part of him that wanted to take up Gavin's previous offer of going inside somewhere. Gavin brought down his hand that was holding the snowball, bringing it closer to his side.</p><p>"Fine, fine," he said, beginning to walk backwards slowly. "Guess I gotta be the one to do it, huh?"</p><p>"Gavin," Nines slowly said, a smile that he couldn't push down coming up on his face. "Don't throw that at me."</p><p>Gavin stopped walking backwards, raising his left hand and cupping it near the left side of his head. "Oh, I'm sorry, what was that?"</p><p>And just like that, Gavin reeled his hand back and threw the snowball at Nines, hitting him on the upper right side of his chest, leaving speckles of snow on his sweater in its wake. Nines looked down at his chest is pure surprise, having not fully expected Gavin to have gone through with the throw.</p><p>"C'mon, babe!" Gavin loudly said to Nines, causing the android to look up at him. "You gonna do something about that or what?"</p><p>It was certainly something he'd never thought about doing, something that he once would have never had the chance to do and something that was slightly out of character for Nines and his usual serious and somewhat joking behavior. And the fear was still there in that moment, lingering in the back of Nines' head, threatening to overtake him, but as Nines looked back at Gavin's loving face, something deep down, something light and fluttering, caused his smile to grow and his LED to finally stop spinning and return to its usual bright blue.</p><p>"You know what?" Nines said before bending down like Gavin had done earlier and quickly creating a snowball. "Fine." Nines stood back up and threw the snowball at Gavin, the man not reacting in time to dodge the hit from landing right in the middle of his torso.</p><p>"Oh, it's on," Gavin said, his smile as big as Nines' as he started to get another snowball, the android doing the same.</p><p>As they began to throw more snowballs at each other, Gavin laughed at every successful hit he got on Nines, though the RK900 reigned supreme, never missing a throw. Gavin's laughter was infectious, Nines soon doing the same, breathless laughter escaping him as he ran around, trying to dodge Gavin's throws the best he could.</p><p>And the fear soon retreated, being washed over by a sudden burst of exuberance as Nines and Gavin threw snowballs at one another. Nines <em>liked</em> doing it, finding it fun and exhilarating in a way, possibly due to how childish it was or how Gavin made the activity so enticing.</p><p>
  <em>How Gavin was there with him.</em>
</p><p>Maybe the snow wasn't that bad after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading! i don't know why, but i'm especially proud of this one. i think it's because i love seeing them be all happy in the end hehe.</p><p>and if you want, come and visit me on tumblr where i talk all about detroit become human: <a href="https://mollyinthewater.tumblr.com">@mollyinthewater</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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